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booksinwildplaces 's review for:
The Bone Drenched Woods
by L.V. Russell
adventurous
dark
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
Thank you to Quill & Crow Publishing House, NetGalley & L.V. Russell for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 5 stars.
Genre(s): horror.
Overall impression: a dark, bleak and gory horror novel with incredible world-building and beautifully lyrical writing. It felt like I was there with the characters, covered in a layer of dirt and blood, watching the horrors of folk legend and sacrificial rituals unfold.
Tropes:
➵ Defiant FMC
➵ Animal companion
➵ Forced marriage
➵ Flawed characters
➵ Female rage
➵ Witch hunt
➵ Whispering villagers
➵ Masked men
➵ Rituals & human sacrifice
➵ Something is in the woods
➵ Sense of dread
➵ No one is safe
➵ Gods & Goddesses
➵ Botanical horror
➵ Isolated village
➵ Secrets & betrayal
➵ Everyone is a sinner
➵ Not everyone survives
➵ No happy ending
⤷ Plot:
The storyline was fairly mundane - following the early days of Hyacinth's forced marriage, exile, and attempt at survival in a small isolated village. She had to navigate her new life and learn to adjust to the whims of the Teeth and the Deep. Despite the simplicity of the overarching plot, the novel was packed with folklore, rituals, sacrifices and gore, which kept me fascinated until the end.
⤷ Characters:
Hyacinth was a very strong FMC that dared to question the oppressive patriarchy in her small village. She rebelled against the brutality of the elders, which had innocent people maimed and slaughtered to appease ancient gods. Whilst she didn't save the world, she took control of her own life and encouraged other women to do the same. In that, she had some character development but not much.
The villagers demonstrated the dark side of human nature. They were sinners to their core and were quick to blame their neighbours for their misfortunes, resulting in witch hunts and murder. A couple of them had some character development and were swayed by Hyacinth but most went through their life only knowing misery and fear of the unknown.
⤷ World-building:
The world-building was so in depth, it felt like I was in the forest experiencing the horrors with the characters. I'm glad I wasn't there IRL because I definitely wouldn't have survived long in such a cold, damp and unforgiving place. The whole village felt creepy and there was a sense of foreboding lingering throughout the entire novel. It kept me positively hooked because I wanted to know if any of the characters made it out alive. I liked that the Teeth and the Deep weren't described in as much detail as the rest of the world. Instead they were these grotesque shadow/animal hybrid creatures that took sinners from their beds in the night. It made my imagination go wild!
⤷ Writing:
The descriptions were all so lyrical and beautiful, which contrasted strongly with the dark content of the story. It wasn't too descriptive to the point that it slowed the reader down, which is good because I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen next and binged the book in a couple of days. I would definitely read more of L.V. Russell's work in the future because she did such an amazing job at crafting a beautifully dark and gruesome horror novel, unlike anything I've read before.
Statistics:
➵ Date read: 17/05/2025-18/05/2025 (2 days).
➵ Page count: 232.
➵ Type: e-book.
➵ Volume: standalone.
➵ Special: NetGalley ARC.
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Rating: 5 stars.
Genre(s): horror.
Overall impression: a dark, bleak and gory horror novel with incredible world-building and beautifully lyrical writing. It felt like I was there with the characters, covered in a layer of dirt and blood, watching the horrors of folk legend and sacrificial rituals unfold.
Tropes:
➵ Defiant FMC
➵ Animal companion
➵ Forced marriage
➵ Flawed characters
➵ Female rage
➵ Witch hunt
➵ Whispering villagers
➵ Masked men
➵ Rituals & human sacrifice
➵ Something is in the woods
➵ Sense of dread
➵ No one is safe
➵ Gods & Goddesses
➵ Botanical horror
➵ Isolated village
➵ Secrets & betrayal
➵ Everyone is a sinner
➵ Not everyone survives
➵ No happy ending
⤷ Plot:
The storyline was fairly mundane - following the early days of Hyacinth's forced marriage, exile, and attempt at survival in a small isolated village. She had to navigate her new life and learn to adjust to the whims of the Teeth and the Deep. Despite the simplicity of the overarching plot, the novel was packed with folklore, rituals, sacrifices and gore, which kept me fascinated until the end.
⤷ Characters:
Hyacinth was a very strong FMC that dared to question the oppressive patriarchy in her small village. She rebelled against the brutality of the elders, which had innocent people maimed and slaughtered to appease ancient gods. Whilst she didn't save the world, she took control of her own life and encouraged other women to do the same. In that, she had some character development but not much.
The villagers demonstrated the dark side of human nature. They were sinners to their core and were quick to blame their neighbours for their misfortunes, resulting in witch hunts and murder. A couple of them had some character development and were swayed by Hyacinth but most went through their life only knowing misery and fear of the unknown.
⤷ World-building:
The world-building was so in depth, it felt like I was in the forest experiencing the horrors with the characters. I'm glad I wasn't there IRL because I definitely wouldn't have survived long in such a cold, damp and unforgiving place. The whole village felt creepy and there was a sense of foreboding lingering throughout the entire novel. It kept me positively hooked because I wanted to know if any of the characters made it out alive. I liked that the Teeth and the Deep weren't described in as much detail as the rest of the world. Instead they were these grotesque shadow/animal hybrid creatures that took sinners from their beds in the night. It made my imagination go wild!
⤷ Writing:
The descriptions were all so lyrical and beautiful, which contrasted strongly with the dark content of the story. It wasn't too descriptive to the point that it slowed the reader down, which is good because I was on the edge of my seat wanting to know what was going to happen next and binged the book in a couple of days. I would definitely read more of L.V. Russell's work in the future because she did such an amazing job at crafting a beautifully dark and gruesome horror novel, unlike anything I've read before.
Statistics:
➵ Date read: 17/05/2025-18/05/2025 (2 days).
➵ Page count: 232.
➵ Type: e-book.
➵ Volume: standalone.
➵ Special: NetGalley ARC.
Social Media Links:
Instagram | TikTok | Threads
Follow for reviews, unboxings and book aesthetic videos.